


catching the stars

by derireo



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Acting, Actress Izumi, Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood Friends, Dreams, Feel-good, Gen, Gun Violence, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mild Gore, Not Proofread, mostly a stageplay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:28:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24659902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/derireo/pseuds/derireo
Summary: she's the lead role. to the people in the past who told her she couldn't act; look at her now.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 30





	catching the stars

**Author's Note:**

> Sensitive topic. Stageplay was inspired by the photo taken during a strike in France, 1972, where two childhood friends meet again on opposing sides.
> 
> You can choose whichever troupe Izumi is working with, but for the lead actor, please think of one who is 18+. Stageplay romance reasons :o

Her heart was racing. She could hear the murmur of the audience even from the dressing room and it made her anxious. 

Along with the troupe, she was putting on the necessary makeup to accentuate her features more as a staff member told them how much time they had left to get ready. They had around ten minutes left, and her body was getting number by the second.

Staring at herself through the mirror, Izumi's hand paused in the middle of darkening the artificial dark circles beneath her eyes. Her lips were parted as she looked on in wonder, mind racing with questions of why she was here and _how_.

It was almost like a dream, seeing herself now. She was in her first costume, first as in she had more to change out of and in to later. Just the mere thought of _costume changes_ reminded Izumi of how real this was, and how significant of a character she was going to be.

Her hand resumed its ministrations with the brush pinched between her fingers, and before she knew it, she was already being whisked away by one of the troupe members to lead her towards the side stage, a kind hand warm on her lower back.

The lights were dim where they stood, but the stage was glowing with light as the audience continued to talk amongst themselves. Her attention was redirected when she was brought into the circle the troupe made, their hands on top of one another's as all the members looked at her, anticipating.

They wanted her to cheer for them.

Each pair of eyes looked upon her with warmth and admiration as she slapped her hand on top with a bashful smile, slowly gathering the courage in her body by taking in a slow and deep breath.

" _Ikuzo!_ " She shouted with a large exhale, so loud that the audience heard it, and they quieted down just fast enough to hear the rest of the troupe follow suit with a shout of their own, everyone's hands lifting up in the air. Her shoulders nearly shook with excitement when her eyes darted amongst the men that surrounded her figure, their toothy grins showing her how proud they were of how far she's come already.

With that, the lights shut off, and each member took their place on stage, feet silently padding along the old wood.

Slowly, the curtain began to lift, the spotlight on her and one of the other members, both of them looking into each other's eyes as their costumes resembled that of what young children would wear. She was holding his hands as they bounced and laughed together on stage, her hair slightly whipping around as their characters talked to each other about their dreams.

With the makeup beneath her eyes, the audience was able to tell that even though she was a young child, she was tired. Despite the bright smile that she wore, it didn't hide the fact that there was something that was keeping her up at night, leaving her with such dark circles. The audience stayed quiet as they watched Izumi grin even wider when her friend joined her in staring at the 'flowers' that swayed in the wind, and she turned her head towards him while they both crouched down.

" _I want to help the world be a better place. She's been so nice to me_." Izumi spoke softly, reaching out to brush her fingers along the petals of the flowers that sat in front of them. The boy beside her tilted his head at the curious choice of words, his own finger poking at the bandage that stuck to his knee while a leaf seemed to be stuck in his hair. The gaze that was on him made his own head turn, and when he saw the bright eyes that stared at him, he couldn't help the smile that made its way onto his face.

_She's doing great already_ , he thought.

" _I don't know how you're gonna do that_." He said childishly, suddenly toppling himself onto her so that the both of them would fall onto the grass in a heap, their giggles heartwarming as Izumi shrieked and pushed at him. " _But I wanna do that too_."

Suddenly, the boy procures a handful of grass from somewhere and throws it at Izumi's face as he makes a move to get up and run away, causing the audience to laugh in amusement as the lights go out when Izumi's character complains.

There's the footsteps of someone running across the stage and something rolling on the wooden planks, the soft, but mature laugh of a young woman and man heard as it sounded like they were bouncing again, just like when they were kids. Their whispers were nearly inaudible as the audience was left to wonder.

The lights flashed on again, and the scene changed. Izumi and the actor lay breathless on a pale yellow bed, still full of laughter as they look up at the ceiling with their arms folded beneath their heads.

" _You've seriously gotta stop getting us into trouble_." She admonished the man, her hand reaching out to slap him in the chest. The thud was loud, the sputter escaping her friend's mouth making her laugh again as he rubbed over the spot she hit. She flipped onto her side with a kind smile, her tired eyes staring down at him as he pouted. "We'll get caught by the cops one day, ya know."

The man sighed out loud, sitting up in the bed and shoving himself against the headboard to look down at Izumi, the girl craning her neck to keep him in her sights as their smiles slowly turned into frowns.

" _Better staying a night at jail than here_." He murmured, reaching out his hand for her to take. She didn't hesitate, her fingers intertwining with his as she made a move to scoot up to the headboard as well, the sheets below her bunching up as they moved to accommodate each other on the small mattress. " _Please. Come live with me. I'm sure I can convince your parents_." He begged gently. He brought their conjoined hands to his lap as she sat on her knees beside him, smile sad as she shook her head.

" _You know I can't do that. Just because we've been friends for so long doesn't mean you get an automatic pass_." She laughed, quieter this time. The circles beneath her eyes were darker, and the man that sat with her showed his concern for it by holding her cheek in his hand, thumb dragging along the tired skin.

" _I'm gonna get you out of here soon, okay?_ " He chuckled reassuringly, his fingers affectionate as they brushed themselves against her cheek and her jaw. Her protest was weak beneath the loving touch of a friend, and the hearts of the audience were beating at the scene playing out before them, bodies going numb with how intimate this relationship seemed to be.

Then there were gasps when the man leaned in when Izumi's eyes fluttered shut in exhaustion, but were left feeling disappointed when his lips made contact with her forehead. The kiss was audible from the microphone that was taped to his hairline, and it made a few of the girls in the seats clutch at their chests desperately.

A pair of hands quickly pushed the man away and Izumi's eyes were wide open.

The kiss wasn't in the script.

The shocked look at being pushed away was evident on the man's face as Izumi stared at him with a lost expression, but she quickly recovered, already trying to push the actor even further off the bed with a panicked breath.

" _It's already late. My pa's gonna wonder why you're still here if you don't go now_." She said frantically, her feet slipping into the fuzzy slippers that sat at the side of the bed. Her fellow actor laughed at her hastiness to get him out and away, but he played along easily enough as to not confuse the other troupe members and the audience, the stumble of his feet comedic as they walked out her bedroom door.

" _I'll see you tomorrow_." He promised with a quick wave, his wink causing a short uproar to happen in the audience. He was out of the scene when an annoyed Izumi gave him one last push on the back, showing that he had finally left through the front door.

The girl sighed in relief as he pretended to watch him go down her lane and closed the door as quietly as possible, begging that she would be able to turn the lock without rousing anybody from their sleep. She was murmuring to herself about what they were going to do tomorrow, her back now pressed against the door as she rested on it. Her thoughts were taking up so much space in her mind that she didn't notice the figure that stood at the top of the stage's stairs, and was startled by the single footstep of her father coming down.

She automatically picked herself up and straightened her back when her father cleared his throat to make his presence known, and she gulped as she watched how his arms went to cross over his chest.

" _Brought that kid over again, huh?_ " He chuckled, eyes blank as he stared down at his daughter with an empty smile. " _Seein' him again tomorrow? That's what I heard, right?_ "

Izumi grimaced to herself, parting away from the door to slowly start inching towards the direction of her bedroom, her steps cautious as she watched her father finish going down the stairs. " _No, Sir._ " She murmured quietly. Slowly, she made her way to the door that lead towards her room, her fingers gripping onto the edge of the door frame as she avoided her father's gaze.

" _Don't lie to me._ " He mumbled lowly. His eyes pierced her, the spotlight causing them to glint as he looked around the stage for no particular reason. " _Go back to your room. Be quiet_."

Then the lights went dark again after the sound of a door shutting was heard.

There was shuffling, but the rolling sound didn't come. By the time the audience knew it, the lights were on again, and the young man was halfway through a window, his smile bright as he held onto the windowsill with a surprised Izumi sitting up in her bed. With hurried movements she crawled out from under her sheets to run to the spot where the man was crouching, her hands gripping onto the front of his jacket to make sure he wouldn't fall out.

" _What are you doing here?_ " She hissed angrily. She was on the second floor of the house while her parents slept on the third floor, but they'd be able to hear the both of them if they weren't quiet enough.

" _I was hoping to see you before I left._ " He whispered to her, eyes grinning as he let one hand go from the windowsill to bury a hand in her hair, bringing the young woman close to him so that he'd be able to kiss her forehead. " _I don't know how long I'll be gone for, you know? Plus your parents still don't like me all that much_." He chuckled, amused at how Izumi punched him in the chest before scrambling to wrap her arms around his waist before he could lose his grip and fall.

" _Yeah, 'cause you're always pulling off dumb stunts like this_." Izumi scoffed, eyebrows furrowing into a wince when his lips met a tender spot on her face. Her flinch didn't go unnoticed by the man who was half hanging out her window, and he frowned, carefully nudging the girl backwards until he had enough space to slip into her room.

He approached her, but she only stepped back when he got close. They played a brief game of cat and mouse until the young man had her cornered against the other side of the wall, a hand resting beside her head as the other had its fingers cradling her chin. His gaze immediately found the blackened skin that stained her when the light found her face and he inhaled, awfully slow.

" _I'm gonna get 'im_." He whispered, gentle. The raging emotion was clear on his face, but the storm brewing behind his eyes caused Izumi to shrink. The audience murmured and gasped to each other as the large bruise surrounding her eye was visible when Izumi shook her head no, and she desperately grasping at the man's arms to prevent him from going anywhere.

" _No. I won't let you._ " Izumi begged desperately, using all of her strength to make sure the man wouldn't leave her room. " _Stop it. You're gonna ruin your dream_."

" _Well, he's ruining yours._ " He bit back. His voice held a calm anger, but he stopped resisting the hands that dragged down his arms. Instead, he lifted his own hands to cup the woman's face in his palms and dipped his head down until their foreheads touched.

The two young adults stared into each other's eyes, causing people to hold their breath as the silence between the two characters stretched, Izumi's grip on the man's arms loosening as another weak cry escaped her.

" _I'll manage. I'll get out of here soon_." She promised him with a faint sniffle, her eyes shining as fat tears rolled down her soft cheeks. The lights were dim as the silence returned, the water that leaked out of her eyes dripping down the length of the man's hands and wrists as they wouldn't stop dripping.

She looked.. vulnerable. The actor's breath was nearly taken away at how much Izumi had grown since he had last seen her act. The sight of her gorgeous eyes twinkling in the low spotlight causing his heart to clench. With bated breath, he leaned over just a bit more to whisper in her ear, making sure that their microphones wouldn't catch what he was going to say.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked faintly, the brush of his lips against her skin causing her body to tingle. Her breath stuttered awkwardly and she couldn't respond, but the slight nod of her head gave him her permission, and the man smiled sadly. He had gone back into character.

" _I trust you_." The actor sighed, already resigning his efforts in finding her father. By the time he uttered that line, Izumi was already bracing herself with her eyes fluttered shut, leaving the man smiling. He knew he was going to get a lot of slaps on the back after the play, but when his lips met hers in a gentle farewell kiss, it was the furthest thing from his mind.

The audience nearly caused a commotion at the brief display, and the other actors that were currently on the sidelines were grinning menacingly to themselves.

With her hands now on his chest, Izumi pushed him away with a gasp and wiped at her mouth with the back of her fist, eyes clear of tears as she put some distance between the both of them.

" _We'll meet again, soon. Okay?_ " His smile was warm, but it was also pained as Izumi's character shrunk in on herself, hands held up to hide the bruised part of her face. She watched as the man left through her window again, the stage lights slowly dimming until the whole theatre went dark.

Hurried footfalls gently pattered against the stage as the actors and a few stagehands worked to remove the bed from the area, the scrape of props quiet as they changed scenes and the actors switched into another set of costumes.

The sound of marching filled the theatre then, and when the lights flashed on, there was Izumi, standing in the centre with a few other actors and ensemble cast standing behind her. She was facing another group that was clad in protective gear and in their hands held weapons while her group held flowers.

At this point, Izumi was feeling lightheaded and nauseous when her gaze met the actor's eyes. Her emotions were welling up inside her as she wondered how her character would truly feel in this situation. In the script it said that she was supposed to cry tears of anguish, but Izumi felt that that wasn't right.

Her character deserved so much more. She didn't deserve to be perceived as someone who could only cry at the unfortunate events that were brought upon her, so Izumi straightened her shoulders with a subtle look of determination taking place in the twitch of her eyebrows and the frown on her face.

The actor before her looked on with uneasiness. His character didn't know what to do, facing his childhood friend like this.

" _We'll meet again soon_.." The words echoed throughout the building.

And on two opposing sides did they meet again.

Standing in front of each other, the actor's character was left in shock as Izumi's figure entered his field of vision through the riot helmet he wore on his head. She looked healthy. Even though the shadow under her eyes was still there, she was practically glowing despite the situation they both found themselves in and it left him speechless.

He was speechless because she did manage to escape. To escape and grow into the person she wanted to be.

His character willed himself not to say anything. He wasn't allowed to speak to her, but he knew that she recognised him. The shield he held in front of his body didn't do much to hide the shame that was written on his face and he was able to feel the blank stare she was sending him. Her fingers angrily clutched onto the stem of the flower she held onto, but she didn't say anything as the people beside her kept their silence as well.

Here she was, right in front of him, trying to make her dream become a reality while he was right there in the gear that prepared him to destroy it.

She didn't want to say anything. Izumi bit at her lips as she contemplated what to do, but the little thorns in the flower she held pricked at her skin and told her to hurry. Set aside the differences between them and lay the pretty thing at his feet.

She took a cautious step forward, making sure the actor's eyes were on her as she stared right back, slowly crouching down low enough to put the flower at his feet while the cast behind her did the same to the other officers. The frown on her face seemed to be permanent as she stood back up to her full height, but she didn't move.

She continued to stand in front of the man that she used to call her childhood friend and opened up her mouth to speak.

" _This is how you wanted to achieve your dream?_ " 

A nod. No words. Izumi smiled due to the disbelief that was slowly coursing through her veins.

" _Why? Tell me_."

" _Stay back. Don't come any closer._ " He said harshly when she inched just the slightest bit closer to get in his face. The audience could see the way the young woman clenched her fists in anger, but she kept it cool. They watched as she stood, toe to shield, chin tipped up with her shoulders squared as she squinted up at the man who commanded her to keep her distance.

" _You hated the men who wore these uniforms._ " She whispered. Her voice was as quiet as the wind that blew between them, but it held so much power. So much that it actually caused the man in front of her to flinch. " _You're gone for half a decade and I see you again like this?_ "

" _You never contacted me. Never replied. There were so many instances where I called you and you never picked up._ " She spat angrily. Her voice grow louder in volume as she talked, and her peers tried to pull her away from the line of officers to ensure her safety, but she broke away from them with a furious roar, the thin veins in her neck popping out.

There were loud murmurs heard amongst the audience as the crowd on stage began to get rowdy when the officers in their gear started to hold their shields up more firmly in their grip. She was but a single person in a sea of others who was getting aggressive, but it was enough to have everyone in front of her put themselves on guard. The only person who didn't lift up their shield was her childhood friend, and she could see the hesitancy that fluttered behind his dull eyes.

Her body shook with anger as she recalled the lonely nights she had went through without her friend by her side. The times when she had to hole herself up in her room and hide beneath the covers as fear took over her. The tears she shed on the days she'd try to call him, only to be sent to his automated voicemail.

She wondered where he had gone all those years ago, and now here he was, standing right in front of her as the person they used to hate.

" _This is what you meant when you said you wanted to make the world a better place?_ " The venom behind her voice made Izumi lightheaded once more, and the emotions of her character made her feel like throwing up. They were practically nose to nose at this point, but her friends were desperately trying to pull her away again.

" _Get back!_ " The actor shouted furiously, suddenly hoisting his shield up as a fire lit up in his eyes.

Push comes to shove, the cold material of his protective gear pressing into her scarred skin as the officers behind him began to get restless themselves. Izumi is left stumbling back into her friends, only to return with more purpose in her steps, the sound of the crowd roaring gradually escalating into something more as the sound of gunshots wail into the air, screams of shock and flinching people filling in the unsettling silence.

" _Stand down!_ " The actor shouted from the top of his lungs and dropped his shield with a heavy thud. " _Who fired those shots!?_ "

" _We need to get her help._ " One of the other troupe members said with a tremble in his voice as he picked up Izumi in a bridal carry, another member putting pressure onto the wounds that continued to spill blood.

In his arms lay a lifeless Izumi, and the audience was reduced to shock at how the events played out. Her arm, limp as a select few actors carried her off stage in a rush, left a trail of blood on the varnished stage.

The man in the riot gear couldn't react fast enough by the time he was done barking orders, already witnessing how the bullets split her skin into wounds up close and how fast her friends had carried her away.

Even when he took a step forward to follow after them, to make sure she got to the medical tent safely, one of his colleagues pulled him back by the shoulder while shaking his head.

The shakiness in his breath washed over the theatre as he deliberately threw his helmet to the ground and gripped his hair in his fingers.

He was trained to not react to these types of things, but the gorey image of his childhood friend bleeding from places where she shouldn't be was so freshly ingrained into his mind.

He dropped to his knees and let out a hoarse gasp, and the trembling in his voice as he apologised with a mantra of murmurs trailed off into silence as the lights went dim for the last time.

_What's done is done. There will be no forgiveness._

The silence lasted for a few more seconds until the theatre erupted into an ear-deafening applause, effectively startling all of the actors who left the stage.

"Curtain call!" One of the actors beside Izumi shouted above the clapping as his hand found hers. Everyone who took part in the play simultaneously shouted in acknowledgement, and suddenly the newly debuted actress was being pulled towards centre stage.

Her heart was in her throat when she made eye contact with her male lead as she met him in the middle, and the proud look on his face as he took her other hand in his made her body feel like it was floating.

Slowly, the reality began to sink in.

Her misty eyes gazed into the number of people who were standing in the audience, clapping and shouting as the line of the cast finished gathering.

Her gaze darted amongst the sea of people until they landed on the faces of those she knew too well. They were moving down the rows to make it to the stage as well, and she noticed something reflect in their hands.

Unable to identify what they were holding due to being dragged down into a bow with her make lead, Izumi let out an incredulous laugh at the thought of a successful opening night. With her as the female lead.

Her vision was blackening around the edges while her breathing began to show an irregular pattern, and she couldn't help it when the tears began to drip from her eyes. Her heart felt like it was racing a thousand miles per second when the troupe members in the audience joined everyone else on stage with flower bouquets in their hands, and the familiar voice of Matsukawa boomed from the speakers.

"And please give it up for Mankai Company's director and newly debuted actress— Izumi Tachibana!"

The spotlight drew upon her, the heat of the beam causing her skin to warm up as the applause in the theatre grew louder, the blush on her skin growing heavier when her cast members and the other troupes began to cheer just as loud.

Suddenly, her arms were laden with flowers as the Mankai members began to approach her with a proud adoration in their eyes. Her hands shook as she greeted them with an elated breath of air, lips trembling as she did her best to show everyone her ecstatic smile.

"We still have a few more nights to go!" The male lead shouted over the never ceasing applause, his bright eyes catching Izumi's attention as he bent down to her height to hand her one more flower, a single congratulatory rose.

Her affirmative nod made something small flutter in the man's chest, and without him realising, he was leaning in even closer to her to press a kiss to her cheek— up until a few hands grabbed his shoulders and arms, and nearly threw him to the side to get him away from their beloved director.

"Thank you, guys, I— Whoa!" Izumi squealed in surprise when she felt her body floating, the strongest and tallest members of the company moving to catapult her up in the air as she clutched onto her flower bouquets.

Her initial surprise was overtaken by the laughter that bubbled from deep within her, the happiness of finally being able to do something so exciting on stage causing her to feel like a feather as everyone continued to exclaim their joys.

It was way too early in the week for them to be celebrating like this, she thought to herself. The sweat on her forehead from the spotlight cooled down as they threw her up one more time, cushioning her last fall with their strong arms before setting her back down on her wobbly legs.

"Thank you everybody for a great night!" She said one last time with a 90 degree bow towards the audience.

When she snapped back to her original height, the exhaustion instantly caught up with her, having her nearly collapse into the crowd excitedly bouncing behind her.

"Oops. Careful." One of the troupe members laughed as he let her fall into his arms, already making the moves to hold her up in a bridal carry so that she wouldn't strain herself any longer.

Her embarrassment was obvious as the blush painted across her cheeks warmed into a darker shade, but the adrenaline in Izumi's body was way too much for her to handle.

Holding up her flower bouquets above her head, she let out a clear, refreshing shout from the top of her lungs to express her joy, resulting in the whole company following suit as she was carried off stage.

Their giggles were cheerful as the troupe member who held her began to run towards her dressing room, and Izumi just couldn't believe she was going to have to perform for four more nights.

Izumi Tachibana, the girl who used to be blacklisted for being a terrible actress, has now become one.

She didn't need anybody's validation but her own. She didn't need somebody to tell her if she was ' _good enough_ '.

She just needed friends who understood her and gave her the time she needed to overcome her weaknesses and make them into her greatest strength.

Her ears began to hear white noise as she let her head fall back onto the shoulder of the man who carried her, relief finally washing over her body as it felt like the world was finally lifted from her back.

Closing her eyes as she was brought into her dressing room, the tears of happiness flowed down once more.

**Author's Note:**

> not as emotional as chasing the clouds, but i'm still pretty happy with this! maybe i just focused too much on the stageplay?
> 
> thank you for reading! find me at derireo.tumblr.com or r_ouyi on twt!


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